Final Pay Calculator NZ 2026/27

What must be included in NZ final pay?

When employment ends, final pay can include wages or salary still owing, notice pay where applicable, unused annual holidays, unused alternative holidays, a part-year holiday-pay payment and other amounts owed under the employment agreement.

If you have not yet become entitled to annual holidays

If employment ends before you become entitled to annual holidays, the holiday-pay component is generally 8% of gross earnings since starting the job, less qualifying annual-holiday amounts already paid such as annual holidays taken in advance or valid pay-as-you-go holiday pay.

If you already have annual holidays you are entitled to

Unused entitled annual holidays must be paid at the higher of ordinary weekly pay (OWP) or average weekly earnings (AWE). A further 8% calculation applies to gross earnings since the last annual-holiday anniversary, including applicable amounts paid in the final pay.

Public holidays after your last day

This is the part many simple final-pay calculators miss. If you have unused annual holidays you are already entitled to, those holidays are treated as if they were taken immediately after employment ends. If a public holiday falls inside that notional leave period on a day you would normally have worked, it must be paid as a public holiday and the annual-holiday period is extended. That extension can sometimes capture another public holiday.

This calculator automatically checks national public holidays around 2026 and 2027 using the normal working days you select. An optional extra holiday date is provided for regional anniversary days or another applicable public holiday.

Unused alternative holidays

Unused alternative holidays (often called days in lieu) are paid in final pay at relevant daily pay or average daily pay where legally applicable.

Notice pay

If the employee gives the required notice, the employer must generally pay through the notice period. If the employer asks the employee not to work all of that period, payment can still be required depending on the employment agreement and what the parties agree.

What this calculator does not deduct

The result is gross final pay. It does not calculate PAYE, KiwiSaver, student-loan deductions, child support, court deductions or other payroll deductions. Those should be applied separately to the final payroll payment.

Guide only: Final pay can become complicated when hours vary, annual holidays are recorded incorrectly in hours or days, there has been substantial unpaid leave, the employee has been on ACC or parental leave, or the parties dispute notice or deductions. Check Employment New Zealand guidance or payroll advice where the facts are unusual.